Bethlehem / PNN / 

The Palestinian Prisoners Society. the Palestinian Prisoners and Committee. the Palestinian Prisoners Association, and representatives of national factions, along with the families of prisoners in Bethlehem, handed over a message to the International Red Cross.

They requested legal and humanitarian protection for the prisoners and detainees in the prisons of the Israeli occupation.

The message, presented by prisoners' activists, stated that the Israeli occupation authorities have implemented a series of retaliatory operations under the prison administration since the beginning of the aggression against our people in Gaza. These measures included cutting off electricity entirely, in addition to prolonged cuts of water to sections in various prisons, especially the Negev Prison, where water is provided for only fifty minutes.

The prisoners' activists also said that the prison authorities have withdrawn food supplies from prisoners' sections and reduced the number of meals from three to two, and have closed the canteen.

As part of the retaliatory measures, Israeli forces carried out raids in all sections, accompanied by systematic abuse and assaults, including physical violence. The prison authorities are also moving prisoners from their places of detention to the clinics or hospitals, as well as isolating some prisoners in solitary confinement cells and closing sections.

The message from the prisoners' institutions handed over to the International Red Cross indicated that the occupation authorities carried out mass transfers within prisons, including moving prisoners from one section to another or from one prison to another. They also threatened to withdraw all personal belongings of the prisoners, confiscated prisoners' clothes, and left each prisoner with only one set of clothes in some prisons.

The message from the prisoners' institutions, handed over to the International Red Cross, indicated that the occupation authorities carried out mass transfers within prisons, including moving prisoners from one section to another or from one prison to another. They also threatened to withdraw all personal belongings of the prisoners, confiscated prisoners' clothes, and left each prisoner with only one set of clothes in some prisons.

For more details, you can watch the protest here: Link

Amid the continuous arrests carried out by the Israeli army in various Palestinian territories, which have affected more than 1,100 citizens since the beginning of this month, in addition to preventing lawyers from communicating with the prisoners and banning their visits, the prisoners' institutions and families called on the International Red Cross to fulfill its responsibilities. This includes visiting the prisoners, inspecting their conditions, reassuring their families, and providing them with legal and humanitarian protection.

Following the message's submission, a protest was held, attended by the families of the prisoners, representatives of prisoners' organizations, and various civil society institutions. They demanded support and solidarity with the children of our Palestinian people in Gaza. The protest aimed to call for an end to the ongoing massacre against children and women.

The speakers at the protest included Mohammad Abdel Raba, the head of the Palestinian Prisoners and Liberators Association, Abdullah Al-Zaghari, the head of the Palestinian Prisoners' Club, Hussein Rahal, representing national and Islamic forces, and Mohammed Abdel Nabi, a member of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah. The mothers and families of the prisoners also expressed their concerns about their sons amid the retaliatory policies implemented by the Israeli authorities.